


Treasure Trek

by TheWordBox



Series: These Are a Few of My Favorite Things [2]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-06
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-12-23 00:24:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11978220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWordBox/pseuds/TheWordBox
Summary: Nikki rockets off in search of treasure, and the boys can only hope to keep up.





	Treasure Trek

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, you guys really delivered in response to that last rule! I'll do my best to hold up my end.  
> Guess the AU will have to wait. That's fine by me.
> 
> Edit: When I finished this, I did so via a mobile device. The kind that didn't allow me to add italics. I went back to add some, and remedied some grammar. That's all.

Nikki likes dirt, and dirt shows its affection in kind by coating her head to toe. It envelopes her in a hug and coats her with a promise that it will never be far away. Thanks to a healthy balance of soil and water, it doesn’t take long for Nikki to make herself a mud bath, and she washes off in the lake when Neil or Max tells her about a new ‘project’, because she’s found these ‘projects’ are more fun when mud isn’t hardening on her hair and clothes. Dirt always keeps its promise, though, and it's only a matter of time before she's acquired a fresh coat. Nikki wears dirt with the same pride with which Nerris wears her cape. She literally jumps for joy whenever she's offered an opportunity to get covered in earth and not be scolded for it.

So when David announces that Treasure Hunting Camp is being showcased today, nobody is surprised when her eyes spark like Christmas lights and she exclaims, "I call a head start!" whilst she zips off towards the woods. David looks worried for a moment, but since both Gwen and the Quartermaster are busy with last-minute setups for the hunt, he can't leave the other campers unattended to try and stop the petite pistol. So there's nothing he can do except shout, "Erm, don't go too far, Nikki!" to her back and fret.

Neil turns to Max. "D'you think we should stop her before she gets lost or hurt?"

Max shakes his head. "Nah, we'll find her later. Or she'll find us, either way works."

"Okay. Let's hear the rest of this so we can compensate for her ADHD."

* * *

The only sign of Nikki's presence in the forest is a blink of motion overhead as she leaps from branch to branch like a practiced ninja. As she peregrinates her way through the trees, her mind flits about different ideas of what the treasure could possibly be.

Money? She hopes not, that would be boring. Food? Much better, but David and Gwen don't like feeding the animals people food, so they probably didn't choose that as a prize. Contraband? Ooh, that would be nice! And really helpful for finding something to do on a boring day! But that's just wishful thinking; David wouldn't agree to it. No worries, though, because there is always some way for Nikki to get her pink little hands on something sufficiently illegal. It certainly doesn't hurt that many of the camp activities require objects that ranged from pointy to 'pyrotechnic', as Neil would say.

Nikki likes fire. She thinks that when she meets up with the gang next, she'll propose a 'project' of glorious pyromania. It's been  _two days_ since they'd lit something on fire, and that's downright tragic.

* * *

"I take it back," Max grouses. "we _really_ should have stopped her when she was still in within ten kilometers of the camp. Now she could be anywhere!"

"Not even Nikki's fast enough to run that far in fifteen minutes." Neil replies.

"How much are you willing to bet on that?" Max asks as he reaches into his hoodie for David's wallet.

Before Neil can say anything, David pops up in front of the two boys. "Hey there, fellas! Any luck on the hunt for treasure?"

"Don't you have a stray camper to track down, David? Quit bothering us and do your job!"

"Aw, you don't have to worry about Nikki, Max. I've already informed everyone to let a grown-up know if they see her, and both Gwen and the Quartermaster are keeping their eyes peeled. And let me tell you, the Quartermaster has been here even longer than myself; he knows the woods around here like the back of his hand. He'll find her in no time."

"That's supposed to be a comfort?" Neil demands incredulously. "Which hand are you talking about? The one that's still there or his interchangeable murder weapon?"

"Be nice, Neil! Nikki will be found, one way or another. You two focus on the treasure hunt, and don't forget! All of the clues lead to places  _around the camp_. So I don't want to see either of you in the woods looking for Nikki. Okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Get lost, Camp Man. We're falling behind because of you." Max snaps. He doesn't stop glaring at the counselor's back until he's out of sight.

Neil glances down at their first clue, which happens to be a scrap of paper with a cheesy, poorly written rhyme. Even a kindergartner could figure out it leads to the theater camp's costume closet. "I'm going to go out on a limb here and say we're not going to give a shit about this stupid treasure hunt."

"Fuck no. The prize is probably something like a handful of cereal box toys anyway. Let's go."

* * *

Nikki's brain had jumped from treasure hunts to fire to the Fourth of July. She can't stop thinking about how bright and colorful fireworks look, and how you always see them a moment before you hear them. Her favorite ones have the loudest booms and their lights look like a fountain. When she was younger, she wanted to catch those sparkles as they fell to the earth; her mother had to handcuff her daughter and herself together to ensure she wouldn't try to run to the firework launch site. Now, Nikki is more interested in finding out how to make fireworks of her own. It would be so cool to launch them skyward at one of David's bonfire gatherings. What happens if you don't aim them up, anyway?

As she tightropes her way across a log that precariously spans a narrow-but-deep ravine, she wonders if Camp Campbell has a Firework-Making Camp.

* * *

Max and Neil successfully snuck away from David two hours ago. Now, they're not so much looking for their friend anymore as they are trying to navigate their way through the woods. Max groans as they walk up the same hill for the fifth time in this circuit they've fallen into. "Neil, I think I know why we keep Nikki around. If she were with us right now, we'd be napping in some patch of sunlight by the lake."

"If Nikki were with us, that would ultimately ruin the point of being here in the first place," Neil replies as he swats at the mosquitoes whining around his head, "so yes, we'd be  _anywhere but fucking here_."

"How long do you think we've been walking?"

"It's hard to tell, given that we've been going in circles, but we definitely haven't gone ten kilometers."

"For fuck's sake, this is just stupid. We need a new plan."

"If we can't find her by walking, and we can't find our way back to camp, what should we do? Scream her name? Make animal calls?"

Max pinches the bridge of his nose and growls, "This had better be worth the humiliation."

Neil slaps another bug, but not before his skin develops a large bite. "I'mma be real, Max, at this point, I'd be willing to go shirtless in the woods again if it meant Nikki would find us faster."

* * *

Nikki's had a little time to think about it, and she concludes that she's _definitely_  seen this cave before. If she's remembering correctly, this was the place where she and Neil first found Muack. The feisty little gal had chased them all the way back to camp, snarling and snapping the entire way. Good times.

The skeleton is still here. Nikki has seen three bears during her time at Camp Campbell, and _all_ of them are dead. She's upset about that, but they're pretty cool even in death, so hey! Silver lining.

As Nikki stands there regarding the remains in front of her, she almost expects some vicious little creature to emerge from the shadows. Unfortunately, none do so, but that's okay, because Nikki is experiencing mental fireworks at the moment, and is too preoccupied with her fabulous epiphany to worry about wild animals anyway.

Nikki now knows what the treasure is.

A few minutes after Nikki has exited the cave, her prize under her arm, she feels the arbitrary urge to stop. Always a dutiful follower to her instincts, she obeys her gut, ceases the movement in her feet, and carefully listens.

Her efforts are not left unrewarded, for she can hear the distant mewl of what sounds like Max and Neil trying to mimic wolves howling. Those silly boys. Don't they know wolves will only howl back at night? Regardless of their novice mistake, she's already excited to see them. She needs to propose that fire idea before she forgets about it.

* * *

Max stops howling and groans so loudly it's almost a shout. "This is ridiculous! I feel so stupid. Neil, we are _never_ letting Nikki go anywhere on her own again!"

Neil happily ceases his poor imitation of a wolf's howl and replies, "Agreed! And whenever our fragile grip on masculinity leads us to go back on that, we make her promise to come back in five minutes!"

"Wait, what? Why would we go back on that when we have this to remember?"

"Because, Max, there will come a time in our lives when we all undergo puberty, and unless we both overcome society's male stereotypes and learn how to be comfortable with the fact that we have dicks, then we're sure as hell never going to be able to do something like spend all of our time with a post-pubescent female, whether that female is Nikki or not!"

"... Dude, are you okay? You're talking about things that won't happen for years. We probably won't be going to this shitty camp at that point."

Neil rounds on his black-haired friend. There's a manic look in his eyes. "Bullshit! You and Nikki are the best friends I've ever had, and there is no way in hell I intend to lose contact with either of you! I'll use hacking to find out your addresses and phone numbers if I have to! _Don't_ underestimate the lengths I will go to stay in touch with you two.

"And if I'm going to keep talking to you people even after this place is in the past, I've got to think long term! Which means if we're going to avoid letting Nikki go anywhere alone, we have to be prepared to help her do things like shop for tampons and pads." Neil concludes, his voice quieting to a less crazed volume. "So, I recommend that when the time comes for our testosterone levels to skyrocket, that we get over any society-based fuckery that's sent our way really quickly."

"... As usual, Neil, you have put way too much thought into this," Max says as soon as he finds his words. "And some of that's a bit creepy, but it's... nice that you care enough to do it."

"Yeah, Neil. And it would be great if you could hack into my phone for me once I get it back. I forgot my password _ages_ ago."

Neil unleashes an impressive shriek that rivals the best scream a generic little girl could belt out. Max, predictably, but still slightly disappointingly, doesn't startle. He does, however, look quite annoyed. "There you are, Nikki. The hell is that thing?" As Nikki takes a breath to speak, he cuts her off, saying, "Never mind, tell us back at the camp. Do you know which direction we should go?"

* * *

Of the three kids, not one is surprised when,  as they walk into the mess hall, David rushes over and makes entirely too much of a scene over the numerous cuts and scratches covering each of them.

"Max, Neil, I am very disappointed in you both! You _knew_ you shouldn't have gone into the woods, you _said_ you wouldn't, and then you _did_ , and look where that's gotten you! Nikki, are you alright? You're completely covered in dirt! All three of you need a long bath and some bandages. Come on, you can take turns in the tub in the counselors' cabin. Oh. Um, Nikki, why do you have a bear skull under your arm?"

"The treasure!" Nikki exclaims, and brandishes the large bone above her head, giving everyone a better view. "Isn't it pretty? I found it in the woods!"

"It's... very nice, Nikki. Why don't you hand that to me, and I'll put it somewhere safe."

"What? Why? Where are you gonna put it?"

As David gradually coaxes the skull away from the incredulous little girl, Neil turns to Max and asks, "So, which one of us is going to take a bath with Nikki?"

"I wouldn't look so worried about it if I were you. Chances are, we're all going to dive into Lake Lilac and wash off that way. Nikki probably won't even bother to strip."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Check it," Max says. He projects his voice so Nikki can hear him whilst participating in a game of tug-of-war with David. "Hey, Nik! Neil and I have a project in the making. C'mon!"

Nikki gasps and David falls backward with the skull. "All right! To Lake Lilac!" She grabs both boys by the hands on her way out. "By the way, guys, can we do something with fire? Fire sounds really fun right about now. I like fire."

"Sure, Nikki, we can play Pyromaniac, can't we, Max?"

"No complaints here. Let's do it."

" _Yay!_ " Nikki's whoop echoes throughout the camp.

**Author's Note:**

> I know Neil's rant may seem a bit out-of-the-blue, but he's brushing up on subjects I want to acknowledge in future chapters. So bear with me.


End file.
